De Jongh to captain WP in Currie Cup

Experienced centre Juan de Jongh will captain Western Province during their upcoming Currie Cup campaign.

Experienced centre Juan de Jongh will captain Western Province during their upcoming Currie Cup campaign.

The 26-year-old takes over the squad captaincy from Deon Fourie, who is now playing in France, and will lead his province in the absence of national skipper Jean de Villiers. Prop Pat Cilliers, meanwhile, will serve as De Jongh's vice-captain.

WP coach Allister Coetzee told www.wprugby.com: "First and foremost, Juan is a true Western Province Rugby man, he knows the culture of the union and what it stands for and he will lead by example.

"Despite being just 26 years old Juan is a very experienced and respected member of our squad and that will allow him to get the best out of everyone around him.

"We have a strong leadership group in this Western Province team and all eight to ten of those players (in our leadership group) will no doubt provide the necessary to support to Juan - starting with Pat, our official vice-captain."

De Jongh made his WP debut in 2009 and has played 39 matches in the Blue and White hoops. He played his first Super Rugby match in 2010 and has made 69 appearances for the Stormers.

Speaking about the captaincy, De Jongh said: "It's a huge honour for me and a challenge I am relishing.

"I have some pretty big shoes to fill if you think about who has captained Western Province before me, but I'm excited about the challenge and I hope to be able to make a difference and add to the legacy of this great union."

Western Province will get their 2014 Absa Currie Cup campaign underway against the Eastern Province Kings in Port Elizabeth on Friday, August 8.